The police shootings in Garland, Texas, the other day were a bit different from other recent police shootings, in two important respects. First, the victims were not black. Next, they were armed and a very real threat.
They were Islamists and they were pissed off that there was an anti-Islamic gathering going on.
It was a comic drawing contest. Yes, that does happen even after 3rd grade. Not often, of course. It’s not the kind of thing adults normally sit around and do with each other.
Specifically, it was a contest to see who could draw the best cartoon of the prophet Mohammed. And by best, they meant the funniest. And by funniest, they undoubtedly meant the most offensive.
Some people, as you can verify by spending 5 minutes on facebook, just love to be offensive. It’s what they live for. It’s not a new phenomenon, you’ve met people like that in real life, as well. They’re the ones who end every story with “You shoulda seen the look on his face!”
You can be pretty sure that a group that organizes a “who can offend Muslims the worst” party are precisely that kind of people.
So, it was no surprise that people were offended, and it was no surprise that people bent on violence showed up.
On the one hand, this is like setting a mousetrap. If you’re going to have the occasional terrorist attack, it makes sense to have it where the police are waiting for it. Two dead terrorists, no other damage. The offensive cartoons were just the cheese in the trap.
On the other hand, I don’t like the idea of police setting up kill zones. If this starts to be a regular thing – having events that you know are going to draw opposition, just so you can shoot somebody – it could get really ugly.